We believe American Indian
spiritual beliefs and practice cannot be bartered or sold at any price.

It costs nothing to enter the
Sacred Circle because it does not belong to anyone, it is a gift of the Creator.
There is no admission fee to a Purification Lodge because the messages, visions
and teachings of the lodge are not owned by a human, but come directly from the
Great Mystery. There is no monetary price to pay for the honor of going on
a Vision Quest because the Spirit of God is there. When money and greed
are
present, the Spirit of the Creator is absent and thus there cannot be a Vision.
The spiritual connection has been broken.

Several years ago, this Manataka member
wrote in the article False Shamans"...Our
ceremonies, dances, songs and symbols are sacred. They must be protected from
theft, exploitation and desecration. We should encourage all people to seek
their own ways of spiritual expression, the ways of their ancestors..."

Our belief has not changed nor
is it in danger of being compromised after many years of bombardment and assault
from those who wish to imitate American Indian spiritual ways, and by others of mainstream society who simply do not
understand. Most of these people who try to justify
"voluntary donations" or an "abundance exchange" and otherwise attempt to
force the acceptance of money in trade for ceremonies are intelligent and
otherwise caring individuals. Yet, they find our very simple philosophy
difficult to understand. It may be greed that clouds their thinking, or it
may be a lack of respect for the beliefs of others or a lackadaisical attitude
toward anything not born in Eurocentric thinking. We do not know why they
find it hard to understand that accepting money for sacred ceremonies is not
acceptable -- regardless of how it is arranged, how it is worded, or how it is
accomplished. Could it be they do not care to take the time or make the
sacrifice necessary to comprehend the depth and breath of this ancient
philosophy?

Our ceremonies are sacred.
We do not own them. The messages, visions, healings, insights, teachings
and miracles given during ceremonies do not originate from the human psychic or
even the human soul, they come only by the grace of God -- the Creator of All
Things. We cannot sell that which does not belong to us. The act of
accepting money in exchange for sacred ceremonies is an admission the person
conducting the ceremony owns it and thus what happens is not born
by the grace of God.

Coyote Grows Spirit Wings

A Manataka Elder was
invited to give a lecture on top of an Arkansas mountain where his ancestors
once lived. It was to be a large gathering in September 2009 that featured 'healers' of
many disciplines. Months after accepting the invitation, the Elder spoke
for the first time to the organizer who
informed him that during the three-day event time will be arranged for each
presenter to provide services such as "blessings, healings, dream
interpretations, counseling, etc. during individual private sessions. On
top of spending hundreds of dollars to participate, unsuspecting guests are expected to
ante-up a "donation" or a "abundance exchange" of $55
per half-hour for personal sessions.

The Elder decided not to
participate in the private sessions because money would be demanded in exchange for
spiritual interventions.

But, the non-Indian organizer persisted and attempted to entice him by
saying, "...voluntary donations will support your work..." The
fast-buck organizer, then lectured the esteemed spiritual Elder in the customs of American Indians with
"...Voluntary abundance exchanges often occur in Native American ceremony...
Elders have always been able to receive gifts in exchange for vision quests..."
The organizer, who says he has been on three Vision Quests (he paid money for at least two) went on
to arrogantly instruct the Elder about the right ways of gifting and ceremony by
saying, "...abundance exchange is appropriate when
energy is expended to complete the energy value cycle..."
No response
was given by the Elder. As a result, the lecture was cancelled by the
organizer.

Coyote grows spirit wings of gold to trap unsuspecting seekers --
surrounds himself with pseudo-healers to enhance his appearance, and
looks so very regal. But, coyote is still not happy -- he is bound
to fail in the end and the people will get away. Beep Beep.

The Elder

would have presented the lecture as agreed, but he refused to be bullied and
disrespected. Because he refused to perform sacred ceremony for an "energy
exchange" (the promoter's words for money), hundreds of people were denied a
portion of the program promised by the promoter.

From the organizer's point of
view, money may be accepted for sacred ceremonies when a Spiritual Elder expends
"energy" so the so-called value cycle may be completed. What the
heck does that mean? A promoter's mumbo jumbo.

It was later learned the
promoter often brags about the tens of thousands of dollars he makes from
selling reservations to various events and rakes in thousands more during the
events.

When an Elder agrees to
perform ceremony it is not for the edification of the crowd or to please any
promoter. If an American Indian spiritual Elder agrees to provide healing
ceremonies in a private session, it is not done because there is money involved.
It is done because there is real human need for healing and both parties exhibit
strong faith in Almighty God to bring about the unbroken circle of love, peace
and wellness.

However, it has been our
experience that some people who gladly pay for ceremony are nothing more than
novice wannabe shamans who plan to use bits and pieces of the actions and words
of the ceremony to advance their own careers as so-called authentic
healers. They pay for spiritual training, just like the promoter's vision
quests experiences. Don't these idiots know that spiritual training is
free? -- provided proper respect is given first.

We have witnessed first-hand at private events where people pay
large amounts of money for the privilege of hearing the words of someone
masquerading as an authentic Indian healer who charges money for
ceremonies. Some people come away confused because they did not understand
what really transpired. Some refuse to accept the thought that they were
duped. Others, who want to play the copy-cat shaman game, come away with
misinformation, poor examples of real ceremony and a lot of false ideas.

When money is offered for
ceremony, the intent of the alleged spiritual Elder is suspect. Is the
intent to act as a 'hollow bone' or conduit for Spirit or is the intent to grab
the money and run? Whenever money is demanded for spiritual favors, the
needy person is bit by a persistent feeling of doubt. "Is this guy real
or does he only want my money?" Doubt is the exact opposite and the
nemesis of faith. Faith is the one element the needy person must bring to
ceremony. Without faith, there can be no healing. Therefore, instead
of facilitating a beautiful moment when divine grace touches a person in need,
it is turned into a farce.

Yes, we are aware of some
American Indians openly solicit money for ceremony. Many genuine spiritual
Elders publically speak out against their brothers and sisters who sell
ceremony. Indians who sell ceremony will sometimes justify their actions
by saying, "who cares if we taken money from stupid white people? They deserve
to lose their money!" Therefore, the problem is not just pseudo-shamans
and fast-buck promoters, the problem is also us. Indian people who use
sacred Ways to enrich themselves know better, but the money has turned their
heads and hearts.

Performing American Indian
ceremony became stylishly popular several decades ago as "pseudo-Indian" groups,
fake-shamans, and promoters began spouting concerns about the environment and
animal welfare. Today, they talk about manipulating energy, channeling
spirits, grids and crystal vortexes. They use distorted versions of Indian
ceremonies and surround themselves with Indian dancers, singers and medicine
people to enhance the appearance of realism.

Yes, the coyote with wings of
gold is
among us.

Money does not mix with
American Indian spiritualism

In this case, the organizer confused
the American Indian custom of honoring Elders with gifts and the performance of
ceremony by linking two separate
acts as if the power and grace of God can be bartered and
exchanged for money. There is a big difference here.

First, there is a set price
asked before the private session / ceremony. The idea that the exchange is
'voluntary' is a lot of superficial crap. The person who seeks healing
certainly does not feel the price is voluntary. The person in need is put
in an uncomfortable position of having to ante-up greenbacks for the right to
receive blessings. The so-called 'healer' is forced by acceptance of the money to
provide spiritual intervention when in fact, no spiritual relief may be possible
because that decision rests solely with the Creator. Therefore, two people
are made to feel cheap, one may feel cheated, and the only one to benefit is the
organizer.

Let us imagine a person in
need who paid money for healing, or some other blessing, is actually touched by
Spirit during one of the pseudo-healing sessions. This is rare, but again it could be the
decision of the Creator to do so. The question then becomes what lesson
has the needy person learned? Did the individual learn that $55 worth of
the healers time will buy a magnificent blessing of the Spirit? Did the
person understand the miracle did not happen through the power of the human
conducting the session, but it was a miracle of God? There are a
dozen questions and no good answers for the unsavory practice of so-called
"energy exchanges".

Healers of many disciplines
including Reiki practitioners, Massage Therapists, Acupuncturists, Ayurvedic
Practitioners, Herbalists, Chiropractors, Nurses, Doctors, etc., all accept
money for their services. Is this wrong? Absolutely not. These
and other healing methodologies rely on human knowledge and experience and are
not necessarily spiritual in nature or include American Indian ways.
People who practice soul or power animal retrieval, divination or other forms of
shamanic extraction often charge big fees for these services, but again they are
not American Indian and it is none of our business if they charge money or not.

It is the phony fast-buck
promoters and healers who use corrupted forms of American Indian ceremony for
pay who must be stopped.

Second, presenting a gift to
an Elder is something that is prayed about, thought about and planned for days
or weeks before. Most of the time, the gift is handcrafted with loving
hands or acquired by great labor. Or, the gift may be a simple stone,
tobacco, sage, or a blanket. The intent of the gift is not to
swap money for a favor as is the common Eurocentric idea of capitalism, but it
is done from a heartfelt feeling of love and respect for the Elder and for his
or her ancestors who suffered to gain the learning that has been passed along in
a beautiful way. A gift given to an Elder is not an enticement, bribe, or
an exchange of any kind. It is given freely without any attachments.
When money is given with the expectation of receiving authentic Indian ceremony
the entire process is tainted.

A spiritual Elder needs to eat
and pay bills like everyone else. But, it must be remembered American
Indian spirituality is not a profession. It is a way of life, it is
a divine calling. Unlike organized religions with its hoards of paid
clergy, clerical staffs, and huge facilities that require large amounts of money
to operate, American Indian spirituality requires nothing but faith. Any
attempt to pay American Indian spiritual leaders for ceremony is a direct
assault on our sacred ways. So, how does an American Indian spiritual
elder pay his bills? Simple. He works for a living or the
tribe, family and supporters contribute to his or her welfare by providing
necessities of life.

Third, it is true an Elder
will expend a great amount of spiritual strength and energy during a healing
ceremony. The Elder may take on or absorb negative energies that must be
dealt with spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. The strain
can sometimes be leave the wise healer exhausted. Yes, a great service of
love is extended by the spiritual Elder, but the needy person is not required to
give anything in exchange, except faith in the omnipotent power of God and a
desire to help themselves.

It is by faith alone that allows the spiritual
Elder and the person in-need to work together to bring about wholeness by the
Grace of the Creator delivered by Spirit.

Fourth, money is not energy.
Money is not a fair exchange for the beautiful works of Spirit --- Spirit has no
value because it is priceless, beyond all human wealth and comprehension.
An "energy exchange" cheapens the value and strength of American Indian spirituality, it is an abomination of true American Indian philosophy and belief to insinuate
that money is a proper exchange. Oh we know in some circles money is said
to possess great energy because it is believed people with money have power and
people with money are to be feared. It is this same idea that builds huge
institutions that attempt to control human thoughts and beliefs -- called
organized religions. It is the same idea that compels some people to
own and control everything in sight -- called imperialism or capitalism.
It is this same idea that drives some people to create warring armies -- called
oppressive governments. Fear and greed are the driving forces behind the
love of money.

Freedom of worship is
paramount

But people who follow the Good
Red Road, do not want large institutions to control their spiritual beliefs
- we have no large edifices to worship inside, no paid clergy, no written dogma
or doctrine. Freedom of worship is paramount. We do not want to own
every thing -- we believe the Creator gave us the gifts of the Earth Mother to
share equally and fairly with our all brother and sisters - be they human,
animal, plant or any other part of creation. We do not build large
military complexes to protect us from our fears -- our families call upon the
Spirit of Great Mystery to protect us, as they have done for thousands of years.
Money is not an answer to our needs. Faith is the only answer we need.

There is much to learn and
much to teach about the Beauty Way, the Good Red Road, American Indian
philosophy. The depth and breadth of its wisdom has long been ignored and
misunderstood by dominant society. People hunger to connect with the
simple, yet profound concepts of our ways -- that we believe will help humankind
to ascend to a higher plain of knowing and survive as a species on Mother Earth.

This cannot be done unless we
divorce ourselves from the idea that money can be exchanged for sacred
ceremonies.